THE THINGS WE CARRY - Geoff Reisner

[Geoff_R]

http://www.rawimagefilms.com/graphics/thingswecarry/lossfest/ttwc_poster_v2.jpg

Premise...
World War II drama taking place in the European Theater with two American GIs who are at risk of getting stuck behind the lines of a German advance.

More info soon...

[Geoff_R]

Reserved...

[Tabula Rasa Productions]

like the short story?

[Geoff_R]

It's not based on the short stories which I believe you're referring to, (the ones by Tim O'Brien). I think his series takes place during Vietnam.

[Maximus]

Look forward to it.

[Mark Harris]

Now it's on...I smell a first place up in this thread...

[Rodney V. Smith]

damn! nice photography. nice poster. nice story. can't wait to see this one. welcome dude.

[Lawsuit_Boy]

This will be some six minute film! Excited to see what comes of it. Welcome to the festivities! :beer:

[Rodney V. Smith]

I think it's time to start stocking up on beer...

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

I love your work so I'm really looking forward to this.
The premise sounds amazing. 5 stars.

Good luck!

MAH

[Edgen]

Sweet poster man!

[Lawsuit_Boy]

I think it's time to start stocking up on beer...

Here, here! :beer:

[Chris Messineo]

Wow, that poster is awesome.

[Shawn Philip Nelson]

Geoff, wow!! Glad to see you on here. And damn, who did that poster?

[Geoff_R]

So here's the deal on this short... It seems I'm always doing a film for the Spring DVXuser fests so I couldn't not participate in this one. My problem is always coming up with an idea and getting it done in time for the deadline. With Heritage (dramafest), I got inspired to make a movie with two weeks to go, with Ghosts for Heroes (lovefest), I got inspired with less than a week to go. Unfortunately, I didn't get GFH in on time and not too many people saw the film. Thankfully, I managed to have a first draft of this script in hand early in January.

We kept getting hammered on delays... First off, I couldn't find the right location, nowhere in the Los Angeles area would work, I needed a thick, real world forest. Did a few trips out to areas I'd find on Google Earth but they were all crap in person. Big Bear CA was almost the right choice, they had great pines but the hills were too dangerous. There was no way I'd be able to move and shoot fast unless I trekked far inland to some of the valley areas. We started investigating up north and after some trial and error, found a more flat pine forest up in the mountains northwest of Gorman, CA.

Then it was a matter of getting all the props and weapons... all the houses in LA charged too much for us to do this. We were looking at anywhere from $400-600 a soldier. So we started looking for private owners and to our luck, found an incredible one who was willing to work within our budget.

We had pushed the shoot back about three times by now. We were aiming to shoot with each Thursday that rolled around... so this last Thursday, all is set and ready to go and then I see the forecast, rain and snow all day... I couldn't very well shoot in that kind of weather with the gear I had lined up. There was no way I'm putting a RED in those conditions, that thing has too many ports to protect and insurance isn't going to cover you when you short your camera out. It'd be production negligence to shoot in the rain without a full crew and tents and tarps constantly being rigged overhead.

Rather than postpone yet again, I decided to go HVX/SGpro and deal with it. Built a rain rig for my cam and we went. The weather was horrible, probably the worst shooting conditions of my life.. and it looks great on the screen ;) Thankfully, we had a small e-z-up tent otherwise I don't think we would have made it past two hours. The tent allowed us to hustle back and plan out the shots for the next scene.

So I've got the film in the can and I have some time to do post-production this time! I whipped up the poster last night and couldn't hold back any longer. Had to make a thread! We still have a lot of work to do on the post end. I'm going to be working on the cut throughout the week and aim to have a pic lock by the weekend.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

So I've got the film in the can and I have some time to do post-production this time! I whipped up the poster last night and couldn't hold back any longer. Had to make a thread! We still have a lot of work to do on the post end. I'm going to be working on the cut throughout the week and aim to have a pic lock by the weekend.
That's awesome news! Having all that time for post work should really make this one shine. :thumbup:

[Jeff Anderson]

Awesome Geoff - glad to hear you ditched the RED and went for it in the weather anyways - Just think what it would've cost to bring in all that fake snow and rain :) Wish you well in post and looking forward to seeing what you've come up with!

[Geoff_R]

That's awesome news! Having all that time for post work should really make this one shine. :thumbup:
Thanks Mike, it reals boils down to me getting a pic lock to my sound team as quickly as possible. There's so much work to be done there, lots of foley work and sfx, etc. Once we're locked, I'm sure Matt and I will have a long meeting outlining all that is needed.. I just know it's a lot :)

[Rodney V. Smith]

sometime you gotta run and gun and then hide from the weather. fun innit/ it's going to look so freaking awesome though. now i feel like a real wuss for postponing my shoots because of a little snow storm.

[Geoff_R]

Awesome Geoff - glad to hear you ditched the RED and went for it in the weather anyways - Just think what it would've cost to bring in all that fake snow and rain :) Wish you well in post and looking forward to seeing what you've come up with!
Thanks, Jeff! Yep, we couldn't have asked for a more hellish environment. That was one of the deciding factors the other producers and I discussed the evening prior to the shoot. We were loosing technical image superiority but gaining overall image appeal due to the environment. My biggest fear was that it'd clear up and be sunny...

[Brandon Rice]

Geoff... been meaning to give you a call! This thread makes it even more necessary!

Looks dang good man!

[pia12254]

Nice! Looks sweet man! I love a good WWII film...

And awesome poster (as everyone else has said)! Can't wait to see it.

Daniel

[stinkpot]

This looks like an ambitious project. I really hope to see this one! And just to restate the obvious... great looking poster.

:beer:

[Beat Takeshi]

Shhweeeeet! The poster looks amazing and hopefully you will inspire me to shoot my joint I have been putting off but keep making threads for it. I know this is going to kick some booty.

[Geoff_R]

Shhweeeeet! The poster looks amazing and hopefully you will inspire me to shoot my joint I have been putting off but keep making threads for it. I know this is going to kick some booty.
Thanks man, now go shoot your film! :)

[Erez Henya]

Looks like we have a winner already? haha.

Incredible production value, my friend. I'd like to offer you my best wishes!

[Brandon Rice]

When are we going to see some grabs Geoff :D hehe

[Zak Forsman]

sounds like things came together in an amazing way. i'm sure the rain adds amazing production value. i think i've got my "first to watch" when march rolls around.

[Humanwire]

This project oughta be interesting....

[Geoff_R]

When are we going to see some grabs Geoff :D hehe
I think I'll put up a grab or two sometime later in the week once I finish editing the picture cut.

[Brandon Rice]

Copy that... no pressure... just stoked to check it out! :D

[Geoff_R]

I'm actually stoked as well :) I haven't had time to really watch the footage yet myself... I have to do some gear returns now from a shoot this weekend but once I get back this evening, time to start editing.

[Mark Harris]

Nice Geoff, can't wait to see some grabbage.

[Geoff_R]

Nice Geoff, can't wait to see some grabbage.
To anyone new or ill informed on filmmaking lingo... our forum might come across as very strange... :)

[Mark Harris]

To anyone new or ill informed on filmmaking lingo... our forum might come across as very strange... :)

Muhahahahaa.

[Beat Takeshi]

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x258/fishman3439/Midgets20pal20pretexto3.jpg

[Mark Harris]

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x258/fishman3439/Midgets20pal20pretexto3.jpg

not only did he get a joke in, he posted a shot from our shoot...bastid!

[kevinkshah]

I really dig this poster, it gives me a range of images and tones. I can't wait to see what you come up with


I'm actually stoked as well :) I haven't had time to really watch the footage yet myself... I have to do some gear returns now from a shoot this weekend but once I get back this evening, time to start editing.

[Geoff_R]

Grab...

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/9666/1234347454.jpg

[Geoff_R]

One more...

I like this color treatment much better. The other one is too blue, it looks like crap.

http://www.rawimagefilms.com/graphics/thingswecarry/lossfest/ttwc_grab02.jpg

[Jeff Anderson]

NM - I see em now!

[Jeff Anderson]

hmmmmmmmmm I dont see the first one, but the second one looks awesome. I love that look in his eyes - just screams determination.

[jasonthewho]

Yeah, I don't see the first one either.

Second one's sweet though.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

One more...

I like this color treatment much better. The other one is too blue, it looks like crap.

http://www.rawimagefilms.com/graphics/thingswecarry/lossfest/ttwc_grab02.jpg
Nice! Can't see the first one though. Did you take it down?

Looking good. :thumbup:

MAH

[Brandon Rice]

One more...

I like this color treatment much better. The other one is too blue, it looks like crap.

http://www.rawimagefilms.com/graphics/thingswecarry/lossfest/ttwc_grab02.jpg

Wow, def. a Reisner film :D I love that shot dude! Awesome! :beer:

[Geoff_R]

Yeah, I don't see the first one either.

Second one's sweet though.

I don't get it... I see the first one fine. The only difference is that the second one is coded from my site personally. I'll do the same as with the second one.

[Geoff_R]

http://www.rawimagefilms.com/graphics/thingswecarry/lossfest/ttwc_grab01.jpg
Too blue I think, it feels CC'd to me.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

http://www.rawimagefilms.com/graphics/thingswecarry/lossfest/ttwc_grab01.jpg
Too blue I think, it feels CC'd to me.

Weird? Still no dice here. Tried two different browsers, can't see it.

[aravance]

One more...

I like this color treatment much better. The other one is too blue, it looks like crap.

http://www.rawimagefilms.com/graphics/thingswecarry/lossfest/ttwc_grab02.jpg

yes. this color treatment is tons better. looking forward to it!

[Geoff_R]

Okay. I think I solved that problem...

[Brandon Rice]

http://www.rawimagefilms.com/graphics/thingswecarry/lossfest/ttwc_grab01.jpg
Too blue I think, it feels CC'd to me.

I can see this... but yeah... too blue :D would be cool seeing it with the other color treatment!

[Larry Rutledge]

Awesome to see another Geoff_R project in the mix ... Def looking forward to this! :thumbsup:

As has been stated many times now, I love the poster!

And, I also agree, this blue/purple color treatment is no good. The other, however, is beautiful!

Good luck man

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Okay. I think I solved that problem...

Yup. I can see it now.

Thanks!

[Geoff_R]

So my cut is running a little long... I'm faced with either trimming to six and condensing or letting it play out as is. I hate releasing two versions of a film, it's something I'll never do again since I did it once with a short and it still bugs me to this day. It ruins it for me. If I ever did a feature and some studio or producer made changes, I would not release a directors cut. That notion of two versions floating around irks me incredibly. It's the same with deleted scenes... I'll never release those either. Once it's locked, it's locked forever and never changes.

I'm going to spend the day tweaking and seeing what I can shave off naturally and if I can get it real close to the time limit, I'll see what I can do... otherwise looks like this may end up as a non-compete. That's fine by me. It's more fun to compete, but the real magic is in making the film in general. It's engaging to be a part of the fest, in whatever role I might play, whether it's directing my own film or shooting for a friend. The only problem with non-competes is getting people to watch the film :)

[Matty_g]

if you need a pair of fresh eyes let me know.

[Geoff_R]

hmmmm... I shall take Matty's eyes....

But yes! I will contact you shortly via intergalactic text messaging...

[Jeff Anderson]

After seeing what you've done here, I dont know there'll be much trouble getting people to watch this, compete or not. Definitely like the non-blue CC better - looks great. Keep up the good work!

[Mark Harris]

So my cut is running a little long... I'm faced with either trimming to six and condensing or letting it play out as is. I hate releasing two versions of a film, it's something I'll never do again since I did it once with a short and it still bugs me to this day. It ruins it for me. If I ever did a feature and some studio or producer made changes, I would not release a directors cut. That notion of two versions floating around irks me incredibly. It's the same with deleted scenes... I'll never release those either. Once it's locked, it's locked forever and never changes.

I'm going to spend the day tweaking and seeing what I can shave off naturally and if I can get it real close to the time limit, I'll see what I can do... otherwise looks like this may end up as a non-compete. That's fine by me. It's more fun to compete, but the real magic is in making the film in general. It's engaging to be a part of the fest, in whatever role I might play, whether it's directing my own film or shooting for a friend. The only problem with non-competes is getting people to watch the film :)

Having the same issues and we haven't even started cutting. But I already know it will come out long. Will have to see...this may be turning into a slightly larger thing than intended, so...I may wind up having to decide on priorities for it...

[Geoff_R]

Having the same issues and we haven't even started cutting. But I already know it will come out long. Will have to see...this may be turning into a slightly larger thing than intended, so...I may wind up having to decide on priorities for it...
Meaning, you may enter as non-compete or chop the film down some to the extent of removing scenes?

[Matty_g]

Mark you better fucking be a compete in this festival.

[Mark Harris]

Meaning, you may enter as non-compete or chop the film down some to the extent of removing scenes?

Well probably remove scenes. I actually think it will work without certain scenes.

[Mark Harris]

Mark you better poo pooing be a compete in this festival.

Um, I think what you meant to say is: "Mark, I am working hard on my own film at this very moment..."

[Matty_g]

I have something in the works for lossfest.
;)

[Geoff_R]

I have something in the works for lossfest.
;)
Really... do tell :)

[Beat Takeshi]

One of the reasons we let Mordere run at its normal length was that I knew I wouldn't want to go back into it and tweak. Especially on the old computer I was editing on. We also wanted to edit for the acting and scene instead of for the time limit. It really gave me a sense on holding on scenes for a while even after the dialog is done. I'm hoping to pull something out of my a$$ though. One of those last minute joints I'm so fond of.
Your grab with the softer highlights look really good.

[Geoff_R]

One of the reasons we let Mordere run at its normal length was that I knew I wouldn't want to go back into it and tweak. Especially on the old computer I was editing on. We also wanted to edit for the acting and scene instead of for the time limit. It really gave me a sense on holding on scenes for a while even after the dialog is done. I'm hoping to pull something out of my a$$ though. One of those last minute joints I'm so fond of.
Your grab with the softer highlights look really good.
Yep, I hate going back as well... you lose that energy to go back and re-work the film. It's better to get it right the first time and have that be final. I get a giant sense of relief whenever I hit pic lock on any project.

I think I'm going to try developing some micro shorts... two, three page scripts... only then would I probably hit under six on a final edit :)

[Geoff_R]

Update: I'm fairly certain we've got a pic lock... just sending it off to the other producers and a few select others to hear their thoughts. As long as no one sees something grossly wrong, I think we're go for post sound.

[Humanwire]

Rock n Roll

[armisiano]

Great grabs. PHENOMENAL poster dude! I love it. Every thread I read this festival's looking better and better. I think everyone is really gonna blow everyone else outta the water, if that makes any sense. :)

[J. Erik Reese]

That would have been great if you could have shot this in Germany! I was there only a few weeks ago and the forest is unbelievable! Furthermore, in Berlin, you can really feel all the history! Man, I'm so excited to see this film!!!

[Elvis]

Hey Geoff can't wait to see this one.

[clarkage]

Don't worry about if it a compete or not. People are going to watch this trust me!:) This is one of my top 3 that I am def watching!.....even though I watch them all anyways lol Great work!

[Arrik]

Hey Geoff,

Nice screen grab. I like the color treatment too. Very impressive. I can't wait to see this. Everything looks top notch.

[Geoff_R]

Thanks guys! Yea, this is definitely a non-compete entry. It's running at eight minutes now and I've already sent a pic lock over to Matt Parra and Justin Durban to start the post sound process. I expected it to run long, the script was nine pages, but I wanted to make the film regardless. I'm rendering out VFX plates this weekend and starting on the color treatment of non-vfx scenes.

This is another film for me that really comes together once all the elements are strung together. I like the story, performances, and how I shot it, but music and sound design are going to play such a vital role in the whole of the piece. I'm excited for when everything comes together in the end.

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

Looking good, Geoff. I'd love to see some more grabs.

[Mark Harris]

Nice Geoff, really looking forward to seeing it!

[Rodney V. Smith]

damn dude. no way to make a shorter edit?

[Geoff_R]

damn dude. no way to make a shorter edit?
Not without sacrificing story and my number one priority is to give the story whatever it needs to succeed. Competing and the chance to win aren't that important to me. Not to discredit whomever does win, it's great to be recognized for talent and hard work, but I'm film first, recognition and acceptance second. I'm more about just making a film I'd like to see, one that excites me, and sharing that with others.

[Geoff_R]

Looking good, Geoff. I'd love to see some more grabs.
Probably won't be posting many more grabs from this... It's more of the same :)

This isn't a very great film in regards to cinematography. It's very simple. We only had one day, so no complicated setups and I had to think practical in many ways. Limited card space on P2, no ability to transfer in the field, the worst shooting conditions and lots of material to cover...

I also wanted to focus on directing more and yes, the two go hand in hand... one could argue that cinematography plays an even more vital role in that sense since I'm completely dictating the shots, but I was more focused on getting my actors into certain states of mind. I had written up a shotlist but had to toss it within an hour or two since the pages had soaked together into a mess. I knew my shots, had the plan in my head, but this was truly shot on the fly, run and gun, all handheld, not even a piece of foamcore to help me out. I'm okay with how it looks, but still it's nothing like I imagined in my head and I guess I'm frustrated with that. If I had gone for what was in my head though... this wouldn't be a $500 movie...

[jasonthewho]

As long as you tell the story, that's the key thing. Sometimes fancy shooting just gets in the way. Sounds like you kept what was most important in mind. Looking forward to seeing this, compete or not.

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

Geoff, I totally understand. I look forward to seeing it!

[Humanwire]

Sound editing is about done on this, just need to record some dialogue and ADR.

[Geoff_R]

Recorded some additional dialogue and wild lines last night over at Sony. An hour prior, Ron Howard and Tom Hanks were occupying the same room for some work on Angels and Demons.

Almost done... one more night next week of ADR with our lead actor and it'll essentially be done from a sound design perspective. Color correction is done, all titling is done, still working on VFX, and still working on music but I'm confident we'll be ready in time for the kickoff.

[Mark Harris]

Good, really looking forward to it, Geoff. This weekend I am making a list off ADR needs.

[Brandon Rice]

I am STOKED Geoff! Cannot wait to see this!

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Almost done... one more night next week of ADR with our lead actor and it'll essentially be done from a sound design perspective. Color correction is done, all titling is done, still working on VFX, and still working on music but I'm confident we'll be ready in time for the kickoff.Geoff! You still uploading in time?
I know you were talking about entering as Exhibition. Any updates?

MAH

[Zak Forsman]

the silence is worrisome. come on, geoff!!!! you've got 30 minutes!!

[Geoff_R]

It is exhibition only, we should be uploaded in time... the movie is essentially done so even if I can't get on the main servers in time for our hosts to appropriate a spot, I'll be hosting from my site or something. Just cleaning up a few little things on it :)

[Geoff_R]

the silence is worrisome. come on, geoff!!!! you've got 30 minutes!!
Whoo! Thankfully I woke up in time... strange how I was drawn to the site....

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

It is exhibition only, we should be uploaded in time... the movie is essentially done so even if I can't get on the main servers in time for our hosts to appropriate a spot, I'll be hosting from my site or something. Just cleaning up a few little things on it :)Cool! Can't wait to see this one. :beer:

[Brandon Rice]

Yay! Geoff you know I'm excited! :D

[Chris Messineo]

It is exhibition only, we should be uploaded in time... the movie is essentially done so even if I can't get on the main servers in time for our hosts to appropriate a spot, I'll be hosting from my site or something. Just cleaning up a few little things on it :)

Awesome. I love all the grabs from all the shorts, but honestly, I find yours the most compelling. I can't wait.

[Norm Sanders]

Ooooooooh, THIS looks AWESOME!!! I'm such a sucker for WWII stuff (obviously, with "Berlin", lol), and your poster, title, etc. looks GREAT Geoff! Add that to the fact that I'm a fan of your work, and that makes this so far my #1 film I'm wanting to see!

[Norm Sanders]

Just read through ... why is this exhibition only??

[Geoff_R]

Just read through ... why is this exhibition only??
The film was running at 8 minutes with super fast credits and I didn't feel like scrapping parts of the story... so with normal speed end credits and all, it's officially 9 minutes. I need to make shorter (short) films...

[Norm Sanders]

Gotcha, makes sense. Well, I'm GLAD we get to see it, and also pleased I'm not competing against you, Geoff! :beer:

Our film is actually just over 8 minutes as well, which includes a credit roll ... but after editing out the very beginning & endings, we still had the heart of the story right at 6 min, so were able to make it work.

[Zak Forsman]

mine was running 12 minutes but instead of cutting any scenes i just time-remapped it to 6.

[Rodney V. Smith]

Our film is actually just over 8 minutes as well, which includes a credit roll ... but after editing out the very beginning & endings, we still had the heart of the story right at 6 min, so were able to make it work.


I hear ya on that one. I had to cut out the original planned credit sequence on Keeper in order to get it close to the mark, but really did keep the heart of the story.... less introduction, but more meat. Glad it worked out that way for you too dude...

[Geoff_R]

Well I might have another secret entry I made and just haven't made a thread for...
:lipsrseal

[Norm Sanders]

NICE!! Find the needle in the hay stack, eh? Different user name too?

[Brandon Rice]

hehehehe :D

[Geoff_R]

Nah... never got around to making it actually, it was called 'The lost shoelace chronicles...' an epic adventure about Timmy Robbins who awoke one morning and discovered that one of the laces from his rare converse sneakers had gone missing... Timmy searches for it and uncovers a shocking, horrifying secret...

[Norm Sanders]

Oooooh, GRIPPING storyline! You had me at "The...."

[Geoff_R]

Ok, seriously rendering/uploading my real entry...

[Brandon Rice]

Whoot!!

[Beat Takeshi]

Dude that was tight. I went straight for yours first.
I loved that you had the image tilted to one side all the time. It made it feel like they were going up hill the whole time. That sh1t was bad ass. I liked the decision for the color correction. It made the uniforms blend into the backgrounds like that are supposed to do. The audio design was on point too, no fake sounding gun shots and the one spot where they got shot at and you hear the bullet hit near them was was money. I loved the story also but I'm not giving spoilers.
double thumbs up!

[Chris Messineo]

Geoff, This was the first film I watched and I was blown away.

Your shots are amazing. The lighting in the first shot was beautiful and the battle scenes were awesome. I especially loved your sound, it was layered and it made everything feel real and epic. Your actors were truly excellent, I cared for them both and I felt for their struggle and their pain. Lastly, I really dug the score - it was perfect.

About the only negative thing I can say is there clothes seemed a little too clean, but that is a very small complaint in an otherwise phenomenal film. This one is going in my special folder where I keep films to learn from.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Geoff!

This was excellent! You really have to get your short films down to six minutes!
The sound design was perfect! The music was excellent as well, not overbearing or intrusive. It fit perfectly.

Cinematography was excellent! As was the grading.
The acting was also very good, a huge plus! I really felt for the characters here.

Fantastic work.

MAH

[Blaine]

Too bad you couldn't get a six minute cut. This was very good, Geoff. It seemed somehow familiar...you talked about something like this at Luis' party...about stepping it up and I think you did.

Cinematographer was exactly what I'd expect from you. I loved the look. It was a good story, too.

My negatives would be the fact that the uniforms looked like they had just come off a rack from wardrobe. They didn't look lived in. And at times, I felt it was a bit talky.

Very good job, Geoff, this might be the best thing I've seen from you. :thumbup::thumbup:

[Geoff_R]

...The audio design was on point too, no fake sounding gun shots and the one spot where they got shot at and you hear the bullet hit near them was was money...
Matt Parra is wickedly talented...


...I especially loved your sound, it was layered and it made everything feel real and epic. Your actors were truly excellent, I cared for them both and I felt for their struggle and their pain. Lastly, I really dug the score - it was perfect.
Thanks, Chris! Matt Parra and Justin Durban really put a lot of time and effort into this piece. And my actors were a great pleasure to work with and that's mostly real pain in the end :) I had them running non-stop the whole seven hours we shot.


...About the only negative thing I can say is there clothes seemed a little too clean...
Yea...I noticed that once we were starting... kind of wish I could have done something to them, but they were a favor and the last thing I wanted to do was ruin them. We tried dirtying them up... but I think it's more that they have a pressed/firm look to them. So I echo your thoughts on that end.

[Geoff_R]

This was excellent! You really have to get your short films down to six minutes!

Maybe next time :)

Thanks for checking it out, Michael!

[Geoff_R]

Too bad you couldn't get a six minute cut. This was very good, Geoff. It seemed somehow familiar...you talked about something like this at Luis' party...

Thanks, Blaine. Appreciate the thoughts. Yep, I think this was the project but back then it may have been set in Afghanistan or something, it wasn't till late in the project we decided to swing the whole thing towards WW2 which is probably the best decision we made.

[Humanwire]

Matt Parra is wickedly talented...


Thanks, Chris! Matt Parra and Justin Durban really put a lot of time and effort into this piece. And my actors were a great pleasure to work with and that's mostly real pain in the end :) I had them running non-stop the whole seven hours we shot.


Thanks broskee. This was a blast to work on. I'm really proud of it. Excellent work as usual from the Reisner!

[Marlon Ladd]

Geoff, this was an excellent film! The actors did a top notch job and I liked the story and the action. This was very professional and precise from the direction all the way to the music. Very nice, very nice! I really don't know what you could have done differently. I feel like the film was so good that I was watching a movie or something on TV and forgot all about any critiques or technical aspects.

[Slimothy]

Dude. That shit was frucking tight man! One of the best DVXuser shorts in a festival so far. Cinematography, Sound Design, Compositions and Editing were my favorite parts. First one I watched.

Too bad you couldn't get it down to a couple mins.

You're one talented dude, Geoff. Great job.

[Geoff_R]

Geoff, this was an excellent film! The actors did a top notch job and I liked the story and the action. This was very professional and precise from the direction all the way to the music. Very nice, very nice! I really don't know what you could have done differently. I feel like the film was so good that I was watching a movie or something on TV and forgot all about any critiques or technical aspects.

Thanks, Marlon! Glad you enjoyed it!


..Too bad you couldn't get it down to a couple mins....
Too bad we couldn't come up with something else to shoot that one day in the car... haha

Thanks for checking it out dude!

[abraham]

This is a sweet piece. And some pretty damn decent performances.

It's a shame I knew it was about loss. It'd be great if I could be guessing if the partner would live -- but alas, I knew too much!

Good stuff. Very Beautiful pictures. Must've been a fun day in the rain.

[Brandon Rice]

in the rain.

snow actually :D

[abraham]

snow actually :D

whaaat!? in LA?
I'm moving there from Vermont, this is giving me second thoughts...

[Brandon Rice]

Yeah, just a little North of LA... like 20-30 min. but still in Los Angeles County.

[Brandon Rice]

Geoff!

You already know I'm a huge fan of your work, but having said that, this short film stands alone. Without question this is your best directorial work to date, and your best personal short film, maybe best short you've ever worked on.

I love how you show the intimate story of two guys, in the big setting that is World War II. You kept it personal. I agree that this short couldn't, and shouldn't be cut down to a shorter length, as I would not be able to become attached to the guys.

Technically this film is great. The cinematography is rough, and not pretty by any means, but it works brilliantly for this short. If it had been pretty, it wouldn't have worked. The sound design is perfect. I love how we rarely see the enemy, but we hear them all around us, we feel for these guys and their plight. Another really solid solid element of this film is the editing. The beats are right on point, and it feels good, it feels right. None of the cuts distract the viewer, they're seamless. And finally, the music, from Justin just works, on every level.

One comment I have on the film is that I feel the character of Roger (the one who isn't injured) had a noticeably weaker performance than the other lead. His delivery, for me, should have been a little less calm and casual, and either more frantic, or tense. Being tense doesn't necessarily show a sign of weakness, if delivered right. That having been said, his performance doesn't destroy the piece for me at all, and to even make the comment if nit-picking an extremely solid short film.

I expect you to do great things with this short, and hope you submit it to some other festivals, I think it'll have a very good reaction from others!

As always, can't wait until we can work together again! Your talent continues to grow every day! Peace! :beer:

[pia12254]

Geoff,

I have to comment on this thing man! This was my favorite film of the fest by far!!! I've watched all of them and exhibition or not this was an amazing film!

Having done a WWII piece before I truly appreciate what you have accomplished. Your decision to focus on two main characters and fill in the rest of their world around them with amazing sound design was a wise choice that really paid off.

I think the thing that really stood out to me was the editing. Not because it was distracting but because it was SO GOOD! I could tell that every cut had been tweaked until the timing was just right. Everything flowed so well and had a great pacing to it.

Seriously, very impressive work. Congratulations!

(And the weather was perfect! I'm glad you guys decided to shoot in it!)

Daniel

[Kholi]

I totally forgot that you shot that intro material. It looks really good, man. I also think this cut sticks a lot better than the one before.

I never noticed how clean things were, now that it's final I can see it. The knife, etc. It's cleaner than I suppose you would expect. There's some other stuff I'll mention to you later, nice and solid dude.

Feature!

[Sprocketboy]

This is truly an impressive piece of filmmaking. Its professional from beginning to end. I'm a big fan of WWII films and this film, even though it represented a microcosm during a big event, it captured the heroism many had to perform, whether triggered by their conscious or pride. You get top grades in my book.

[Mark Harris]

Really great and professional work all around Geoff. Only complaint is that I think you could have made it 6 min and walked away with some swag...

Out of curiosity, how much ADR did you do? All of it? I saw the pics of you in the studio with the actors...

[Richard J. Johnson]

I just can't seem to get my HVX to look that good! Amazing work. I thought it could have been cut to 6 minutes as well. I have nothing at all to complain about here. Outstanding work.

[Geoff_R]

This is a sweet piece. And some pretty damn decent performances.

It's a shame I knew it was about loss. It'd be great if I could be guessing if the partner would live -- but alas, I knew too much!

Good stuff. Very Beautiful pictures. Must've been a fun day in the rain.
Thanks for checking it out!

[Geoff_R]

Geoff!

You already know I'm a huge fan of your work, but having said that, this short film stands alone. Without question this is your best directorial work to date, and your best personal short film, maybe best short you've ever worked on.

Thanks man :) I couldn't ask for a better compliment! Thanks for all your help as well, you were involved from the beginning as I shot you revised script after revised script to get your thoughts. Really appreciate the in depth critique.

[Geoff_R]

Geoff,

I have to comment on this thing man! This was my favorite film of the fest by far!!! I've watched all of them and exhibition or not this was an amazing film!

Having done a WWII piece before I truly appreciate what you have accomplished. Your decision to focus on two main characters and fill in the rest of their world around them with amazing sound design was a wise choice that really paid off.

I think the thing that really stood out to me was the editing. Not because it was distracting but because it was SO GOOD! I could tell that every cut had been tweaked until the timing was just right. Everything flowed so well and had a great pacing to it.

Seriously, very impressive work. Congratulations!

(And the weather was perfect! I'm glad you guys decided to shoot in it!)

Daniel

Thanks for your thoughts, Daniel. Glad you enjoyed the film! Yep, we couldn't have asked for better weather given the circumstances. It was a nightmarish day and I'm sure a couple of us got sick from the process but it was worth it.

[Slimothy]

Really great and professional work all around Geoff. Only complaint is that I think you could have made it 6 min and walked away with some swag...

Out of curiosity, how much ADR did you do? All of it? I saw the pics of you in the studio with the actors...

It sounded to me like all of the stuff from the un-injured guy was Geoff. Is that right Geoff?

[Geoff_R]

I totally forgot that you shot that intro material. It looks really good, man. I also think this cut sticks a lot better than the one before.

I never noticed how clean things were, now that it's final I can see it. The knife, etc. It's cleaner than I suppose you would expect. There's some other stuff I'll mention to you later, nice and solid dude.

Feature!
Thanks dude! Yep, talk soon.


This is truly an impressive piece of filmmaking. Its professional from beginning to end. I'm a big fan of WWII films and this film, even though it represented a microcosm during a big event, it captured the heroism many had to perform, whether triggered by their conscious or pride. You get top grades in my book.

I'm glad WW2 fans appreciate it, the actor portraying the wounded soldier, Brenden Hill, is one of the biggest WW2 buffs I know. It was tough because I knew it'd be small scale and I wanted to please that fan base even though we couldn't do huge production design or vfx stuff. Thanks for checking it out!


Really great and professional work all around Geoff. Only complaint is that I think you could have made it 6 min and walked away with some swag...

Out of curiosity, how much ADR did you do? All of it? I saw the pics of you in the studio with the actors...
Yea... the six minute thing... I just couldn't picture lopping off that much, not with this one :) My solution is to at least write one shorter script for the next go around. Thanks for checking it out, Mark.

ADR, there's only one line, at the end when Rogers is carrying the wounded soldier, he says, "hold on, almost there.."

Otherwise, we did all the voiceover work that day along with lots of additional German voice recordings and American voice recordings for the end when Rogers is approaching the Allied line/position. That was a fun and interesting day... we have approximately twenty minutes of crazy American soldier ranting and order yelling for fifteen seconds of screen time...

[Geoff_R]

I just can't seem to get my HVX to look that good! Amazing work. I thought it could have been cut to 6 minutes as well. I have nothing at all to complain about here. Outstanding work.

Thanks for checking it out! I haven't seen your film yet, but will soon :)

[Geoff_R]

It sounded to me like all of the stuff from the un-injured guy was Geoff. Is that right Geoff?
I am in there... lol... some background voice work. I think most of my stuff was unusable because I couldn't stick to my own wild line script...

[Humanwire]

Two of the Germans that get shot have Geoff's scream when they die. The other one is me. Geoff's dog got really upset when we were recording his death screams. LOL

[Kholi]

LOL! That dog is so~ hyper. He should have his own web series. Co-Starring Matt Para.

Left 4 Dead?

[Geoff_R]

I agree, my dog should be in a movie or web series... I'll try and arrange some financing.

[Humanwire]

LOL! That dog is so~ hyper. He should have his own web series. Co-Starring Matt Para.

Left 4 Dead?

I haven't played L4D in a while, been working on TTWC. We shall have to play sometime soon.:thumbup:

[Norm Sanders]

Geoff watched it. Anyway (since this is an exhibition) that I can get my hands on a high bit rate HD version of that?? Would SO love to see it in true HD!

Beautifully shot, of course (goes without saying for all of your work), and really dug the performances for the most part. There were a couple of spots I thought it could have been amp'd JUST a tad, considering the circumstances, but hard for me to really know since I've never been in a situation of being shot at, etc.

LOVED the angle you shot that at, as it gave it that going up hill feel ... really added to the pressure/tension/hardship.

I dug the simplicity of the story of "Leave no man behind", with regards to his buddy, but don't understand the beginning? The opening looks like a scene where the guy is writing to someone's family who was lost in battle, but that guy looks like the guy we see shortly later who's wounded & possibly going to die himself? So who was the letter he was writing to (I've not read other comments on here as I didn't want to be influenced)?

Audio mix was excellent, and overall a SOLID film! I think you easily could have cut stuff out to still have the heart of it, and fit within the 6 minutes .... well, EASY for another editor to do, maybe not yourself, as it'd be like cutting your own arm off. So in the future try seeing if someone else can edit for you, or if you feel you can't cut any fat after editing yourself (not to say there was fat in this, but things that could have been sacrificed without much harm for a DVX cut), then see if someone else can look at it with a fresh & objective eye.

[Geoff_R]

Geoff watched it. Anyway (since this is an exhibition) that I can get my hands on a high bit rate HD version of that?? Would SO love to see it in true HD!

Beautifully shot, of course (goes without saying for all of your work), and really dug the performances for the most part. There were a couple of spots I thought it could have been amp'd JUST a tad, considering the circumstances, but hard for me to really know since I've never been in a situation of being shot at, etc.

LOVED the angle you shot that at, as it gave it that going up hill feel ... really added to the pressure/tension/hardship.

I dug the simplicity of the story of "Leave no man behind", with regards to his buddy, but don't understand the beginning? The opening looks like a scene where the guy is writing to someone's family who was lost in battle, but that guy looks like the guy we see shortly later who's wounded & possibly going to die himself? So who was the letter he was writing to (I've not read other comments on here as I didn't want to be influenced)?

Audio mix was excellent, and overall a SOLID film! I think you easily could have cut stuff out to still have the heart of it, and fit within the 6 minutes .... well, EASY for another editor to do, maybe not yourself, as it'd be like cutting your own arm off. So in the future try seeing if someone else can edit for you, or if you feel you can't cut any fat after editing yourself (not to say there was fat in this, but things that could have been sacrificed without much harm for a DVX cut), then see if someone else can look at it with a fresh & objective eye.
Thanks for the in-depth feed back, Norm. Appreciate it!

Yea, it'd be like cutting an arm off :) I may have to do that one day in the future, it's probably the surest way to be objective as projects get more complex and bigger in scale.

Regarding the letter, (and yes, it's the same guy, he's in a medical house receiving treatment for his knee which is wounded in the subsequent scene) much of it stems from the core of the story which is intended to be 'the things we carry' not so much in a physical sense, but in a mental, emotional sense. The wounded character, Barnes, is uncertain of his actions and things he's done during the way. Brenden and I talked about how his character is perhaps writing a letter home to a loved one, expressing these feelings which he needs to let out. Or perhaps he felt responsible for something bad that may have happened... I had Brenden make up a back story for this and he wrote it all for real during that scene, but I promised I wouldn't read it and tossed it after we were done. So not sure what angle he played :) His character is locked up on negativity, finding no solace from any good he may have performed. The letter is his voice of truth, a last escape.

The Rogers' character is similarly fixed and burdened with a sense of responsibility/promise that he cannot let go. I don't expect much of this to come out in detail with the piece, but these are the things the actors and I discussed when shaping their characters.

[Zak Forsman]

always impressed with your work and this could very well be my favorite of yours. love the tone of the piece, that you incorporated the rain instead of delaying the shoot, the diffuse light is beautiful, greatly admire the consistency and marriage of the form and content, the focus on character... all executed very well, imo.

my only disappointment with this is that my rating won't go toward a top three showing. loved it.

[dougspice]

Glad to finally check this out, Geoff. I know a lot of the limitations you were working with shooting this and I think you did a great job of working around them. Particularly you did good work in sound design, but all the technical aspects here are strong.

I, too, didn't quite get that he survived to the end, and to a certain extent I feel that weakens the film... in retrospect it makes the opening scene, in all its quiet somber splendor, just a confusing question mark on what just happened. I initially assumed that we were seeing that character writing his death letter, which his buddy would be forced to deliver at the end. But now I'm not so sure what I saw.

My only complaint otherwise is that I wish you had more moments like that letter-writing scene where no words need be spoken. There's a powerful relationship between these guys and there were moments that could have been serendipitous until they were cast under by a bit of dialogue that seemed unnecessary. Rather than hearing it said that he's outnumbered, and reminded of his promise to survive, I think it would be far, far more potent to have that same conversation done only between the eyes of these two men who have lived through so much together.

Anyway. Strong stuff regardless, congrats, glad I could help in some small way.

[Geoff_R]

Thanks for the feedback, Doug. Appreciate the thoughts!

[Shawn Philip Nelson]

Geoff!

Dude, I LOVED this. Great production design, good fx, great sound design, mostly good acting, great hand held without being too nauseous, great CC/grade

Why, why, why didn't you get it in 6 min and compete?

It is possible. I pulled it into FCP and made a 'Shawn Nelson' version that clocks in at 5:50, and I'm gonna say it rocks and would have probably beaten my little film :-D

[Geoff_R]

Thanks Shawn! Glad you enjoyed it.

The six minute thing... I don't know... I cut my films without restraint whenever editing. I let it find the natural pace/length I feel it needs to work at the level I'm looking for. I wasn't sure how long this one would end up being... When I was finished, it clocked in at nine and I couldn't imagine pulling at that point. Had it been six-thirty or even seven... maybe I could look and pry and play around a bit but I couldn't imagine stripping two minutes. I'd have to lose many moments to make it work and I guess in the end... I couldn't justify cutting it down for the purpose of competing.

I'm weary of ever doing a movie in which I don't control the edit. The mere thought of not having final cut makes me sweat...

BUT I am very interested in seeing the Nelson cut of TTWC :) PM me the link!

[Shawn Philip Nelson]

Well then, odds are you won't like it, just because it's different :-)

I'm not going to dump on your 8 min cut, because it's really freakin good. But I will say that if I was producer, I'd release this new 5:50 cut , hehehe :-).

Some of the transitions are a bit rough because I didn't have the audio tails to work with, couldn't layer the score properly, etc

I'm rendering it now, will upload it to a private server

[Geoff_R]

Looking forward to the Nelson remix... you're a film deejay now!

[Shawn Philip Nelson]

PM Sent!

[Norm Sanders]

I don't know. From some perspectives, it may appear he's dead anyway, with or without the line. Whose to say the line bears absolute significance as to whether he's alive or not...


IF it were possible to show that he truly WAS dead, it would make that line all the more impacting, in that either the supporting lead was carrying his buddy's dead body, and didn't realize he'd already died OR didn't care, and was still going to treat the corpse with dignity & get it across ally lines (leave no man behind). Various was you could play with this. While I hear you about being done with a film, IF you consistently hear enough of the same thing, and IF you're able to change it without going back & doing reshoots, etc., and IF you're wanting to submit to other festivals ... then surely, change it. :)


I'm weary of ever doing a movie in which I don't control the edit. The mere thought of not having final cut makes me sweat...


I've yet to do this either, except for Where Silence Falls, when I DID have someone else edit it on FCP, due to how it was shot & off loaded at the time ... however, I still sat next to the guy the ENTIRE time, so was basically editing it myself.

I really dig Zak's approach that he talks about in his thread with regards to editing, and am SO envious of his situation! If nothing else, just like you find value in other players bringing something to the table in what they do (cast, gaffer, sound guy, etc.) as they bring up ideas of their own on set (if you find value in that I should say - I do), then there could be GREAT value in having a more unbiased person make the 1st edit. That way, you've not gotten locked into how it should be after editing it yourself, and you get a fresh perspective on things & see edits & flow you may never have thought of ... from there, you still have final edit as the director anyway, when you stop to think about it.

[Geoff_R]

Yea, I envy Zak in that manner as well... It'd be awesome to have that person... I think high level film collaboration is a lot like a marriage. It's so hard to find the right people when it comes to DPs, writing partners, producers and editors. It's a touchy, hard to predict flow between two people and sometimes it works surprising well... other times it goes down in flames. Nonetheless, you want someone just as good, and if lucky, 'better' than yourself to lend a hand in the creative partnership. And if I had that editor who could do that... I'd chain them to my desk :)

And you're right... you'd still have final cut per se under these circumstances. Now, dealing with a studio or some larger gorilla beast of the industry... who knows... I might have to chop some heads off or something to get my movie done my way :) That aspect still makes me nervous to a degree.

[timbook2]

Very professional looking film. I am not a fan of war movies but I was highly impressed by the sound!! Sound of this film gets my top vote!!!!:beer:

I also was sure the guy died and saw the letter writing as a time-jump where he is writing about why he lost his comrade.

Very well filmed, acted and all but I was most impressed by the excellent sound quality.
It was so well done, that just the sound explained most of what was going on.
:thumbup:

[Geoff_R]

Very professional looking film. I am not a fan of war movies but I was highly impressed by the sound!! Sound of this film gets my top vote!!!!:beer:

I also was sure the guy died and saw the letter writing as a time-jump where he is writing about why he lost his comrade.

Very well filmed, acted and all but I was most impressed by the excellent sound quality.
It was so well done, that just the sound explained most of what was going on.
:thumbup:
Yea, Matt truly delivered on this one. He's an amazing talent to work with and worth every penny.

[vnguyen972]

This film is awesome... both sound & picture... I'm not much of a war movie fan but I enjoyed this one... great editing and direction! The acting is okay... imo

[JCVR]

Matt showed me a rough cut of this and I really dig the coloring job you did. Considering how heavy the material is... it's a really fun watch. I really dig it.

[Nick_Lee]

well that's a shame it's view only! that was amazing. great acting, costumes, cinematography, lighting indoors, sound. I also loved the handheld. I thought it carried the mood perfectly.

only little critique...which is just opinion. I kinda wished that the woods would have been more wooded. if that makes sense. I thought that would have worked out well. That probably would have been hard with lighting and crew though so completely understood. awesome awesome job man!

[Geoff_R]

Matt showed me a rough cut of this and I really dig the coloring job you did. Considering how heavy the material is... it's a really fun watch. I really dig it.
Thanks for checking it out, Jordan.


well that's a shame it's view only! that was amazing. great acting, costumes, cinematography, lighting indoors, sound. I also loved the handheld. I thought it carried the mood perfectly.

only little critique...which is just opinion. I kinda wished that the woods would have been more wooded. if that makes sense. I thought that would have worked out well. That probably would have been hard with lighting and crew though so completely understood. awesome awesome job man!
Thanks, Nick! Yea, for the woods I wish we could have made the trek all the way up to Northern California. I wanted to get into the Red Wood forest... that would have been cool :)

[Lawsuit_Boy]

After finishing it, I must say that even though there's a very strong message linked to the title, the film sort of falls flat for me. WWII has been done absolutely to death, and this film tends to trail a little in a manner that mixes elements of SPR, Big Red One, Forrest Gump, and a few others. I actually believe it could have been compressed. Definitely not down to six minutes, for that would be terribly tight and ludicrous. But I feel that just a smidge could have been trimmed since there were moments in which they were simply moving through check points. Now that works extremely well to build strength in the events to come, but after the first killing, the film finally begins to develop into a character study of soldiers. Hmm...really though, I didn't mind watching them running and evading. The sound design kept the film very exciting. But there's just something that feels a little loose to me...god, I wish I weren't so tired so I could describe it. Heck, I'll probably sing a different tune in the A.M.

And I was actually bugged by the camera fumbling around as much as it did, but only a little bit. Sure, if one were documenting the situation, it would fumble, that makes sense, but many journalists were able to secure stable footage from the war even when near fire. I think it was really just a few shots that irked me in which the camera performed a slower whip pan back and forth between the men multiple times. I don't really know why that bugged me. Once again, I'll probably think it's fine on the second viewing.

Really though, the film is technically almost FLAWLESS. Fantastic sound design and the cinematography was generally great. I thought the actors really kept the events highly believable as well. You did a great job cutting the piece as well. Image and sound was blended wonderfully. I commend you for taking on the roles of writer, director, editor, and cinematographer. Just be glad you didn't have to try running sound at the same time (that was a pain in the arse). So for me, except for the fact that I'm just so sick of WWII films at this point (not your fault, obviously), it was a great view!

And don't worry, I'll be back to check it out again. :beer:

[Lawsuit_Boy]

Thanks for checking it out, Jordan.


Thanks, Nick! Yea, for the woods I wish we could have made the trek all the way up to Northern California. I wanted to get into the Red Wood forest... that would have been cool :)

Red Woods would have been fantastic! You could have gotten some incredible long shots there.

Man...I haven't been there since I was nine. :(

[Geoff_R]

Thanks for the in-depth thoughts, Jon. Appreciate it!

[Lawsuit_Boy]

Thanks for the in-depth thoughts, Jon. Appreciate it!

No problem, Geoff. I hope it didn't come off too "argh, a WWII film, blah, I'm giving it a one star!" (which I didn't do, haha, you got a good rating from me). I really do think that compared to many other films in the fest, this film is, on a number of levels, pretty dang flawless. And you certainly would be in the finals, if not winning a top spot if this was running the contest.

I'm very excited to see more work from you. :beer:

[chris f]

Geoff,

Dug the film, especially the cinematography. The editing/pace was very good and kept my interest the whole time. Perhaps like Lawsuit_Boy my first impression, was "not another war film" but you managed to overcome that.

My only constructive criticism would be that the uniforms looked a little too green and too new, at least at the start of the film. Also, a few more extras would have gone a long way in establishing more authenticity and believability.

Overall, good film though. I enjoyed watching it.

[Geoff_R]

No problem, Geoff. I hope it didn't come off too "argh, a WWII film, blah, I'm giving it a one star!" (which I didn't do, haha, you got a good rating from me). I really do think that compared to many other films in the fest, this film is, on a number of levels, pretty dang flawless. And you certainly would be in the finals, if not winning a top spot if this was running the contest.

I'm very excited to see more work from you. :beer:

Not at all man :) Like we were talking about in your 'Tiny Dancer' thread... it's all about target audience. Mine was myself :) and second to that probably people like Brenden Hill whom is a huge WW2 fan!

So it's nice to hear thoughts from someone who isn't digging the WW2 vibe so much because you're going to be a tougher egg to crack. So it's good to hear things that kept you engaged and the things that distracted you. Thanks again man!

[Geoff_R]

Geoff,

Dug the film, especially the cinematography. The editing/pace was very good and kept my interest the whole time. Perhaps like Lawsuit_Boy my first impression, was "not another war film" but you managed to overcome that.

My only constructive criticism would be that the uniforms looked a little too green and too new, at least at the start of the film. Also, a few more extras would have gone a long way in establishing more authenticity and believability.

Overall, good film though. I enjoyed watching it.
Thanks, Chris.

Yea, echo your thoughts on the uniforms... Glad we shot the film in order so they got worse as the conditions worsened.

Same with extras, wish we could have had em'... this is why in some ways, I'm unsatisfied and wish I had bit the bullet and thrown some money into this.

Appreciate the thoughts and glad you enjoyed it.

[Lawsuit_Boy]

Not at all man :) Like we were talking about in your 'Tiny Dancer' thread... it's all about target audience. Mine was myself :) and second to that probably people like Brenden Hill whom is a huge WW2 fan!

So it's nice to hear thoughts from someone who isn't digging the WW2 vibe so much because you're going to be a tougher egg to crack. So it's good to hear things that kept you engaged and the things that distracted you. Thanks again man!

Sure thing! I'm glad you appreciate my point of view.

About target audiences: very true, very true. All films have specific demographics of acceptance.

This egg has a little crack running down the side. :thumbup:

[Spear670]

This was a real pleasure to watch. I'd say I definitely fall into your target demographic! This has a look I'm familiar with, but was still very impressed with your execution of it. Good stuff man, really impressive.

[KTOOFRESH]

my honest opinion of this film....PERFECTION!

my favorite part is the audio bridge from writing on the notepad to the sounds of gun fire

very cool stuff...

[Geoff_R]

This was a real pleasure to watch. I'd say I definitely fall into your target demographic! This has a look I'm familiar with, but was still very impressed with your execution of it. Good stuff man, really impressive.
Thanks for checking it out, glad you enjoyed it!


my honest opinion of this film....PERFECTION!

my favorite part is the audio bridge from writing on the notepad to the sounds of gun fire

very cool stuff...
Couldn't ask for a better compliment, thank you :)

[Geoff_R]

Just a general update...

We had our cast and crew screening two nights ago and it was a great time. We all got together, brought a few friends and cranked the sound system to the max. Quite a few people hadn't seen the film so it was interesting to hear their feedback in person.

We also got into a rather large and long discussion considering the ending of the movie... Lots of mixed reactions regarding whether or not the character lived or died and which way was better; different people thought it'd be more powerful to leave this impression, that impression, etc. For the most part, I sat in the back and let people talk it out. This tied in with an earlier conversation the producers and I had regarding the removal of certain lines at the end for the festival run version of TTWC.

After about an hour and a half of listening to all this, we realized we're not going to change a thing. In a lot of ways, it's exactly what we could have hoped for... Some people see the character as alive in the end, others' see him as dead. I think it's up to the viewer to draw their own conclusions. I could go on and on about the minutia of the moment and the points of interest, but I dislike subjectively explaining my work :) All in all, we're glad most people seem to enjoy the film, pleased that so many of you here on the forum have expressed your thoughts, and we're excited to get DVDs made and sent out to some other festivals in the future.

[Alex Jeffery]

Geoff, just finished watching this one. I'm sure it's been said, but I loved the transition from the beginning into the war scene... with the building sound effects. Great idea. This was, of course, beautifully shot, giving almost a poetic look to war. Loved your lighting. Was the rain digital? At times it looked digital and at times it didn't. If it wasn't, how on earth did you get it to pop like that?!

The acting was overall pretty strong. I enjoyed this one!

-Alex

[Geoff_R]

Alex,

Thanks for checking it out and glad you enjoyed the film. Matt did a great job on that opening transition scene, good to hear it worked for you. With the lighting, we got lucky environmentally; it was naturally an overcast, rainy day, so the clouds function as a giant soft box. The rain was 100% real in any shot it shows up. When shooting rain, the background and direction of the light are two of the big deciding factors in how it shows up on screen. With the soft light, we were already pretty golden, but shooting against dark patches in the forest helped boost it's visibility.

Thanks for your thoughts.

[aFox]

The story for me wasn´t the strongest part but i still thought the movie is awesome. Great sounddesign, cinematography and edtiting. Musik was also great. The actor playing the dying guy was pretty convincing, the hero too, just not all the time in my opinion.

Awesome!

[Richard J. Johnson]

What the hell were your HVX settings? I can not get my cam to look this good. It kills me that I have the tool but can't fix anything.

[Geoff_R]

The story for me wasn´t the strongest part but i still thought the movie is awesome. Great sounddesign, cinematography and edtiting. Musik was also great. The actor playing the dying guy was pretty convincing, the hero too, just not all the time in my opinion.

Awesome!

Thanks for checking it out :thumbup:

[Geoff_R]

What the hell were your HVX settings? I can not get my cam to look this good. It kills me that I have the tool but can't fix anything.
Camera settings are all stock, cine-v. It really has little to do with camera settings, I've shot a ton of HVX footy and I've never intentionally changed the settings from the stock ones. I've only done this when shooting second camera for another DP and I have to match whatever settings he's picked.

And this is not a stock HVX. This was shot HVX + SGpro Rev3 adapter + nikon glass. Exposure and focus are very important when dealing with adapter footage. It's strange how many people still don't expose properly for the image even though you can literally see what you're getting to the pixel itself. And then there's other who don't assemble/use the adapter properly and the focus is very off and on. Adapters, while great tools, should only be used if people are willing to take the time and effort to really figure them out. If you're interested in getting one, the SGpro(blade) series are the ones I most highly recommend, second would be the Letus Ultimate or Extreme.

Most of this is F 4 or so on the nikon aperture and most of those lenses are 1.8 or 1.4. HVX was also stopped down to a 2.4 so that I wouldn't deal with miniature shifts from the focus plane on it's own end (the HVX focus plane).

Most important of all is just framing and comp. A medium shot can be accomplished by standing five feet away with a 35mm lens or three feet away with a 20mm lens... you're fitting the same material into the frame but it looks and feels radically different.

There is no particular thing to do to make the HVX look any better IMO. That's why I don't play with any of the settings. To me, it's the difference between 10% post saturation and 12% post saturation... is anyone going to be able to tell... and is that going to affect anyones thoughts on your image? Probably not... and if they are noticing these 1-2% adjustments... they are not enjoying your movie at all. RED, HVX, D90, none of that matters. It's all the other stuff; framing, comp, focus, exposure.

[MrKilloran]

I bet everyone is secretly thanking god you didn't enter.

I have no complaints.
This was unbelievably good from start to end, very impressive work! :thumbsup:

[Rodney V. Smith]

Geoff you just blew my mind.. or maybe that was a bullet through my brain. either way, awesome film. you have a solid film there all the way through, completely enjoyable. I wouldn't change a thing.

[hoz]

amazing photography, acting, music, and i liked the story too. loved the promises that were laid out. i do believe many men made such promises, i was lucky enough to meet one who fought at Normandy. a true hero. your film is great! congratulations!

[Geoff_R]

MrKilloran, Puck, Hoz, thanks for checking out the film! Appreciate your thoughts and glad you guys enjoyed it :thumbup: